The invention relates generally to the display of information in the interior of a vehicle, and more specifically to head-up displays that allow the driver of a vehicle to maintain focus on the road in front of the vehicle during operation.
Vehicle displays are used to provide information concerning operation and condition of the vehicle to the driver and/or other occupants of the vehicle. In a current trend, displays are becoming more sophisticated and provide the driver with more information such as location of the vehicle and navigation directions, etc. To avoid distraction of the driver during operation, Heads Up Displays have been created so that the driver does not have to look down away from the path of the vehicle to receive information about the vehicle. In current heads up displays, an image is projected onto a compound curved piece of polycarbonate with a reflective coating on the back surface. The polycarbonate acts like a lens to focus an image so that the driver can view it. Regulatory bodies in some cases require 75 percent transmissibility for lenses placed in the forward view of a vehicle driver. This regulation means that a significant portion of light passes through the lens and is not reflected to the driver. This creates a waste of power, and low-contrast images presented to the driver. The disclosed embodiments provide advantages over these shortcomings.